Three held over fatal beating

Three men have been arrested for questioning about a gang beating last year which left one man dead.

The victim, Valeri Ranert, was pulled from his car at a secluded spot close to Dublin airport in the early hours of April 30th and was kicked and punched during a sustained attack.

Mr Ranert (28), an Estonian, was with a female friend on Naul Road near Forrest Little golf club when he was attacked. Gardaí believe the gang intended to steal his mobile phone.

However, after realising he was badly injured they drove off in his car. Mr Ranert's friend sought assistance from other people in the area and he was rushed to Beaumont Hospital where he died hours later.

His car, a dark-coloured Volkswagen Golf with a Northern registration, was driven towards Cloghran and Clonshaugh, before being abandoned and set alight at a disused Traveller halting site at Belcamp.

The crime scene is at the northern perimeter of the airport, where plane spotters often park to observe the airfield. It is also a favourite place for courting couples.

Gardaí investigating the killing quickly identified a gang of young men in their late teens and early 20s as the chief suspects. They are all from the Coolock and Darndale areas of north Dublin.

Two men, one a 17-year-old, were arrested immediately after the attack. They were questioned and were released without charge.

A third man also suspected of involvement in the fatal attack was later arrested after initially fleeing to Belfast.

Nobody has been charged in relation to the killing but the Garda investigation has continued for the past 10 months.

Yesterday morning a team of gardaí called to three addresses in the Coolock area at 7am and arrested three men, all in their early 20s.

One of the men under arrest is regarded as the ringleader of the group. He has been arrested before in relation to the killing. All three men are believed to have been at the scene of the attack.

They were taken to Garda stations in Coolock, Malahide and Swords. They were being held under section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act and can be held for 24 hours without charge.

Mr Ranert had been living in Ireland for several years, he had a home in Blanchardstown and had been working as a forklift operator for a large company.